Light In the Midst of Darkness
by outlawqueenwriter
Summary: This picks up after the season 4 finale, only the whole Zelena being pregnant never happened; I just don't like her, sorry. This focuses on Regina mostly but is definitely Outlaw Queen and their family. In later chapters they eventually go to Camelot to try and bring Emma out of the darkness. I don't do summaries very well, but the story is much better, I promise. AU
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello everyone. Thanks for taking a chance with this. I am new to writing fanfiction, but I already love it. That being said, I strongly encourage constructive criticism, but I would also like to say that I don't like the use of offensive language and words in that criticism. There are much better words that can be used instead.**

 **Also, please let me know what you think about this story. I have multiple chapters of this already written, but I would like to know what people think. This can always stay as a one-shot, but like I said, I have like six chapters already written. With that being said, again thank you and hope you like it!**

Darkness. That is the first thing she thinks as she wakes up. She thinks of the darkness consuming her former enemy's daughter. It had been weeks since the darkness had consumed Emma Swan, and now everyone in town was trying to find a way to get to Camelot and to find Merlin who could hopefully save the savior from the darkness.

 _Funny that the savior needs saving._ She thought to herself as she rolled over on to her back with a smirk playing on her lips as she opened her eyes.

She let out an exhale as she felt someone stir beside her. She stiffened only momentarily before realizing who it was. Then she relaxed. She relaxed even more when that same person started breathing rather close on her neck and playing with a strand of her ebony hair.

Then she heard him murmur three little words that have become such a comfort to her over the past couple months. She turned her head to face him and smiled to find his bright blue eyes looking at her with such adoration that she could cry. She returned those three little words back to him and he leaned in closer to capture her lips in a passionate but unhurried kiss that when they parted, she let out a noise of protest.

He smirked at her protest and leaned in for another kiss, but this time it was just a quick peck on the lips. Not seconds after their lips parted a second time, did the door to their bedroom open and in flew, well he was running so fast and jumped so quickly he might as well have been flying, a little boy not more than six years old.

This little boy was one whom she had grown to absolutely adore over the past year. And even when they were in the Enchanted Forest she had grown to care for and protect even after knowing him for maybe a day. Hell, she saved him from one of her deranged half-sister's flying monkeys and turned it into a toy stuffed monkey, but without the wings.

This same monkey came flying in the room with the young boy, as it was being tightly grasped in the not-so-little-anymore hands of her son. She had come to care for and love him as a son long before she and Robin decided that they were in fact going to be together for the rest of their lives and Roland might as well be her son anyways. She loved that boy more than anything else in the world and would do anything in her power –which was quite extensive –to make him happy. She already does this with her son, Henry, and so doing it for another child would be no different in her mind. And it really wasn't. Roland just needed a bit more mothering than Henry did now. Especially seeing as how he is the new Author and all.

She smiles proudly at that, and she gets a somewhat confused look from Robin before she shakes her head and returns her thoughts back to the present. Roland has by now made his way between her and his father and is lying with his back against his papa's chest and facing her with his monkey tucked against his chest and hers.

He looks at her with those big brown eyes that melt her heart every time she looks at them. Then he smiles that dimpled grin that could melt even the most fearsome adversaries and turn them into puddles. Although this grin has a hint of mischievousness, wonder, and confusion in them, and she has no idea why until Roland speaks.

"Mama, Henry told me a secret that no one else knows. But he told me I couldn't tell anyone. And I especially couldn't tell you or Papa where I heard it from." He said in his adorable childlike voice that she knew would turn deeper in just a few short years, given how early Henry's voice had changed. But with what he said, Regina stiffened because she knew that she and secrets that were meant to be kept secret were not a good mix. But then she remembers that only applies when it is her and Snow. She relaxes when she feels a hand on the top of her head and realizes without looking that it is Robin trying to soothe her. She smiles over at him and nods her head in reassurance before she turns her attention back to Roland who is looking rather sheepish at the moment. She is about to ask him what is wrong when she gets her answer in the form of her son speaking to Roland.

"I also told you not to say anything to either one of them because then it wouldn't be a secret anymore," Henry said from the doorway.

"But I can't keep secrets from Mama and Papa. They told me to never lie to them or I would get in trouble!" Roland was getting visibly more upset and Regina put her arms around him and cradled him closer and started rubbing soothing circles on his back while telling him that if it is a secret between him and Henry, and he doesn't tell it then he won't get into trouble. His tear filled eyes look up at her then and he gets a bit happier again.

"Really! But what if I wanted to tell you the secret? Especially if you already know it?" This had Regina's interest peaked and she turned her head to look at Henry who had laid down on the bed next to her. She looked at him with a confused look on her face. All he did was shrug his shoulders, look between her and Robin and then down her torso a ways and then back up at her and smiled sheepishly. She knew then what the secret was and was rather disappointed that she and Robin hadn't actually gotten the chance to tell Roland the news. This angered her somewhat and Henry could tell because he quickly went to his defense and explained what he had told Roland.

"All I said was that you and Robin had a secret that was going to change the family a bit, and when he started to get upset I quickly told him that it was nothing bad because he was afraid you guys were going to split up again. I just told him that it was going to make our family a little bigger," Henry said with a shrug of his shoulders at the end. Regina relaxed and was relieved to see Roland nodding his head and not adding anything else to it.

"Henry is right that your papa and I have a secret, and we want to tell you it, but you cannot tell anybody else until we say it is okay. Okay?" Regina said raising an eyebrow looking at Roland expectantly. He nodded his head in affirmation and promised that he wouldn't tell a single person until his papa or his mama told him he could.

At this, Regina looked over at Robin who was grinning from ear to ear. He nodded at her to continue on with what the secret was. So she was the one to tell his son, huh? Granted Roland was her son as well, but she thought he would at least start it. _Guess not._

"Roland, remember when we told you that you were Henry's little brother and he was your big brother?" She asked, and then receiving an understanding nod from Roland. She continued.

"Well what do you think about being a big brother?" Regina asked, and Roland's eyes lit up with excitement and then confusion.

"Henry's not my big brother anymore?" He asked as his eyes started to well with tears. Regina quickly responded to remedy the situation.

"Of course he is, Roland! It's just you will be, too. You are Henry's little brother still, but you are going to be a big brother just like Henry is," Regina finished, hoping that this would be enough confirmation that nothing was really changing, just he was going to have a little brother or sister, though they knew which, but Henry didn't and they waited this long to tell Roland because they wanted to be able to tell him and Henry whether it was a boy or a girl.

"I'm gonna be like Henry?!" Roland got all excited at the idea of being like his older brother whom he loved so much.

"Yes, Roland. But," Robin finally spoke after watching the whole exchange.

"But what?" Roland and Henry asked at the same time.

Robin looked at Regina to see if it was okay if he told them the happy news, and when she nodded her head he continued.

"But you aren't going to be exactly like him. You see, my boy, Henry is your big brother and you are his little brother, and you are going to be a big brother, but you aren't going to have a little brother," Robin said, letting his words sink in. The younger boy was confused, but Henry knew what he meant and sat up cross legged next to Regina and was bouncing up and down with excitement written all over his face.

"What does that mean, Papa?" Roland asked.

"It means, Roland that you are going to have a little sister! Mom and dad are having a girl!" Henry explained for him as Henry wrapped his arms around his mother and congratulated her and then looked at Robin and did the same. Then he put his hands on Regina's abdomen and started talking to his sister.

"I knew you were a girl. I just knew it. You aren't getting married until you are thirty-five I hope you know!" Henry said and then got up and went bounding down the hall, all the while singing that it's a girl, he's going to have a baby sister. Roland got out from between them and took after Henry and started doing the same, though it was doubtful he knew entirely what was going on.

Regina and Robin didn't care though. Robin scooted closer to Regina and laid a hand on her lower abdomen. He kissed her on the lips before sliding down and whispering, though still loud enough for her to hear, to their little girl who decided at that moment to flutter around and say that she's happy about the news, too. Robin felt it and talked to their little girl.

"Hello, my little princess. I always knew you would be a girl as well, but your mother didn't want to believe me. And I agree with your older brother, Henry, that you are not getting married until you are thirty-five or older," Robin said as Regina scoffed. He looked up at Regina with a mischievous grin. He placed a tender kiss to her now bare abdomen and then went back up to Regina and gave an equally tender, but passionate kiss to her lips that lasted until they needed air.

"I love you," Robin uttered those three little words again.

"And I you," Regina uttered those three words back before pulling him in for another kiss.

Even with everything that had been going on the last few weeks, Regina still managed to hang on to her happiness. She has turned into the new savior of the town and its inhabitants, much to many people's wonder.

She found a way to reverse the curse she had put on herself so many years ago when she thought her mother wanted to get to the throne through her children. Though not long after, did she find out that she needn't have had to, given she was already pregnant and had been since the night she returned to Storybrooke from New York with Robin.

Even though her sister had played out such a twisted farce with Robin and Roland, he still couldn't bring himself to forget about Regina and had consequently never touched Marian/Zelena in any romantically physical way. He just couldn't bring himself to do it.

So the night he returned to Storybrooke with Regina, Zelena, Emma, and Lilly, he and Regina had shared a night in her bed, making love to each other. And since it was purely out of love, the curse Regina had put on herself, was broken, though she didn't know that, and since she hadn't gotten pregnant before with Robin, she didn't think anything of it. They hadn't taken any precautions just as they hadn't before.

And now she was glad she hadn't. Because now she had a perfect little girl on the way. A little girl she and Robin created together. Something Regina had thought impossible for many years. She thought it impossible for her to bear a child, which it was, but with the right person, anything was possible.

And just like Robin told her not long ago, but long enough ago to make it seem like a distant memory: "Perhaps it's all about timing."

 **Please review**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here is chapter 2, this mainly consists of telling the rest of the family about Regina's pregnancy. The action doesn't start until chapter 3. This is kind of just a filler chapter of sorts. Hope you like it!**

It had been only a couple days after the boys found out they were going to have a sister that Robin and Regina decided to tell other people. Mainly those closest to them like Mary Margaret, David, Tinker Bell because she is partly responsible for Robin and Regina's relationship, Killian (because he was like a father figure to Henry and was essentially Emma's boyfriend even though her whereabouts were currently unknown and no one wanted to use the dagger), and even Mr. Gold and Belle were there because they were Henry's family and their little princess was now going to join his rather complicated and messy family tree.

Robin, Roland, Henry, and Regina were all in her car heading over to the un-Charming's new house to tell everyone the news. No one even knew that Regina was even pregnant except for those who were currently in the car. Mary Margaret and David had decided to move into a house shortly after Emma had returned from New York and only just recently got everything unpacked (even though Regina said that she could use her magic and everything would be magically put away, but they wouldn't have any of that). They wanted the family to come over for a dinner once they got settled into the new house and to Regina and Robin, it seemed like a rather good time to tell everyone.

They had just pulled up to the house when they saw Mary Margaret and David with little Neal in his arms walk out the front door to great the family. Everyone got out of the car except Regina who was fiddling with something in her purse and was so distracted that she hadn't realized Robin had walked to the passenger side of the car and opened her door. She looked over at him a bit startled, but then quickly collected herself and got out of the car with Robin's helping hand extended to her. Once she got out and straightened up she saw Snow (she will always be Snow to her, no matter what happens) was only a couple steps away from her and was looking … confused? She didn't know what to make of the expression until she heard, was it Robin or Henry? She didn't know anymore. Someone clear their throat and she realized she was holding her slightly bulging belly. She quickly moved her hand away and wondered why she had put her hand there until she felt a fluttering from within, but a slightly more powerful one. Dare she say, a kick?

The corner of Regina's mouth twisted up into a half smile and somewhat of a smirk before she looked over at Robin who, judging by the look on his face, knew what was going on and wanted so desperately to feel his little girl kicking. Regina shook her head before looking at Snow and giving her an almost genuine smile before walking up the front walkway into the house with Henry and Roland each holding one of her hands with Robin following closely behind.

When they walk into the front door, following David and Neal, they realize they are the last to arrive, but they don't really care. They are the only ones out of everybody that had to go to the un-Charming's house that has children, boys no less, that they have to get ready. After greeting everyone there, and getting a tour of the house, David announced that dinner was ready. They were having hamburgers with various types of salads for side dishes. Most of it didn't bother Regina at all, she was making her way down the line of food only scrunching her nose up at a couple slightly unappetizing dishes, but when she got to the deviled egg salad, she lost it. She handed her plate to Robin who was behind her and ran straight to the bathroom. At least she knew where it was from the tour, otherwise she would have just been frantically searching for it until she couldn't anymore. Thankfully she made it to the bathroom in time, but not without attracting attention to herself from everybody, but only a few people bothered to check on her, namely Robin, Henry, and quite surprisingly, Snow.

Robin knelt behind her, held her hair, and rubbed small soothing circles on her lower back while she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl. As she sat back on her heels and flushed the toilet, someone handed her a glass of water. She expected it to be Robin or Henry, but, once again, surprisingly, it was Snow.

"Thanks," Regina muttered as she took the glass.

"Regina, if you weren't feeling well you could've told me that you couldn't make it. I would have understood," Snow said as she stood next to Regina, leaning against the bathroom counter.

"I promised Henry that we would all come, and besides, I'm fine. It's nothing to be worried about. It's not contagious," Regina added when she saw Snow's skeptical and worried expression.

"Regardless, Regina, are you sure you're alright?" Snow asked.

Regina stood up slowly with help from Robin, and took a step towards Mary Margaret. She turned around to Robin and gave him a look that said she needed to talk to Snow alone for a bit. He nodded his head and directed Henry, who had been standing in the doorway the whole time, back out to the rest of the people at the house.

"Regina, is everything alright?" Snow asked again, growing more worried by the second. At the look that Regina had on her face, Snow only grew more and more curious.

"Snow," Regina began, using the name that she only reserves for when she is trying to convey that what she is about to say is something to listen to. She said it in the tone that she used for when she acted as a mother to Snow when she was just a child.

"Yes, Regina?" Snow said in the voice she only used when she was younger and was talking to her stepmother, whom she looked up to so much.

"Snow," Regina began again. "The reason I am not feeling well is because something has happened to me. Something I thought would never happen. Something wonderful." Regina added the last bit because Snow had a worried expression on her face. However, at the reassurance, something clicked in Snow's mind and a full on smile spread across her face as she realized what Regina was saying.

"Regina? Are you…? Are you preg-pregnant?" Snow asked timidly, because who knows what Regina would do if someone made that accusation, and it was wrong. However, Snow wasn't burnt to a crisp, so she must be right.

"Yes, Snow. I am. And I wanted to tell you first and ask if I can tell everyone else here today?" Regina said.

"Of course, Regina! Oh my god! This is fantastic! I wondered when you got out of the car earlier and was holding your belly, but I just brushed it off, because you have done that before when you were nervous or scared. Though you wouldn't admit to it." Snow said with a slight smirk on her face, which turned into a full on beaming smile again.

"I do? Hmm? I hadn't really noticed. Anyways, so you don't mind if I tell everybody at your house reveal?" Regina questioned.

"No of course not! This is merely a gathering of family during a trying time, to give us a break, and I think this will really lift everyone's spirits! I bet Henry is excited to have another sibling. I know how much he loves Roland, and now he has another sibling on the way." Snow said and then unexpectedly chuckled at something she found funny.

"What's so funny?" Regina asked.

"Well, if you think about it, I am somewhat Henry's adoptive stepsister. And this baby will also be my step sibling," Snow said and chuckled again. This time she started laughing though when she saw Regina's confused and then slightly horrified expression as the realization dawned on her.

"Well, that's, umm, weird," Regina said and then started laughing with Mary Margaret.

Once they had collected themselves and started breathing normally again, the two women headed out to join the rest of the guests. Mary Margaret went and stood next to David and Regina went to stand next to Robin, wrapping her arm around his waist and placing a quick peck on his check to let him know they could share the happy news. Robin kissed her temple and then cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"Can I get everyone's attention for a moment? Thank you," Robin said as everyone turned their attention to Regina and Robin. Robin caught sight of Mary Margaret's face and the slight smirk that was plastered there. He continued, though, without missing a beat.

"With everything that has been going on in town recently, I know not many of us figured we would get to enjoy a day together without much worry. A couple months ago, Regina and I discovered something that we thought impossible, but apparently, true love, and love shared between soul mates, can break any curse. So, with that being said, it is our great pleasure to announce that in just a few short months, there will be a new little princess in our midst." Robin finished, and was met with smiles, and a few confused looks, until Tinker Bell piped up and clarified for everybody.

"Oh my god! Regina, you're pregnant!" Tinker Bell almost squealed the last word. After that, the confused looks turned into genuinely happy and huge smiles from everyone, including Mr. Gold. Tinker Bell then slightly skipped over to where Regina and Robin were standing and gave them both a huge hug, one that was returned enthusiastically by both people.

Snow was excited, to say the least, when they finally shared the news, but was even more so when she realized what Robin said and voiced it loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You're having a girl, Regina? Oh that is fantastic! I am so happy for you. Now Henry and Roland will have a little sister. One I am sure they will protect with all their might," Snow chuckles.

"Uh-huh. I already told her that she isn't getting married until she is thirty-five, and even that is debatable," Henry says as he comes and stands next to Regina and places his hand over hers on her belly, which is slightly more obvious that it is rounder than usual now that everyone knows why.

Regina smiles and shakes her head at Henry, then she feels a full on kick this time and gasps slightly at the new feeling. She looks over at Robin who is talking to Hook and David and gives him a look that says get over here now.

He excuses himself and walks over to Regina, who has her hand pressed against her belly a little more so than usual. It is this that gets Robin worried.

"Regina, love, what is it, is she alright?" Robin asks in a panic, but all Regina does is grabs his hand and places it over the spot hers had just vacated. He gasps when he feels the kick from under his hand, and then he looks up to Regina with so much love in his eyes that Regina cups his face in her hands and kisses him.

"What was that for?" Robin asks.

"For loving me, and giving me something I never thought I would ever have. I love you, Robin of Locksley." Regina says.

"Of course, milady. I love you, too, Regina Mills."

They kiss again in a room that has been quietly vacated, except her boys, who have come and wrapped their arms around her and Robin, and just marvel in everything they have.

Regina never thought this would ever happen to her. To have a man that loves her, _all_ of her, one that loves Henry as if he were his own. A man who has always seen the good in her, even when everyone else doubted there was any left. She had a son who loved her for who she is, and who she has become, a hero. She has another little boy whom she cares for and thinks of as a son. One whom has always seen the good in her, just like his father. Her little knight. And now, she is about to have a little girl whom she will love just as much and as deeply as she does her boys. A little girl who will never know a mother who thought she was never enough. Because everything Regina has in this moment, her boys and her little girl, is everything and more than she could have ever imagined.

She wanted to remain in this blissful, happy, and care-free moment for the rest of her days, but she will settle for what she has right at that moment. Because for the first time, in practically her whole life, she is happy without a care in the world.

 **Please Review, favorite, and/or follow. It is greatly appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to those who have followed, favorited, or reviewed. I really appreciate it. Also, this is where the story starts to pick up and I'm not entirely sure about this first part in italics. There is a trigger warning for the implications of marital rape but it isn't a huge part of this, it is more of a mention in like two lines of dialogue. Also there is a time jump here of about two and a half months here. So without further ado, Chapter 3...**

 _The pain was excruciating to say the least. This severe tightening and cramping feeling that wrapped around her abdomen and squeezed downwards was probably the worst pain she has ever felt, and she has that horrid man to thank for this. The cruel irony of it though was the fact that he and his little brat of a daughter were off visiting a neighboring kingdom and have been gone the past five months and would not be returning for another three and a half weeks. They didn't even bother to write her more than once every other month, and only then was it about how the kingdom was, not once did they worry about her. The only people who knew about the Queen's pregnancy were her father, her maids, and some of the black knights._

 _She has been isolated from the kingdom since it started to become obvious that she was pregnant, roughly the last four and a half months. The last thing she wanted was for the kingdom to find out that she was pregnant with the next heir to the throne and for the king and Snow White to find out. She wanted nothing to do with this child, and did not want to raise him or her to turn out like Snow had._

 _As another contraction rips through her body, Regina screams and squeezes her father's hand even more so, most likely effectively cutting off any feeling he had left in his hand. She pushes with everything she's got on the next contraction when the nurse maid tells her this is the last one. Regina sighs with relief when she feels the pressure vanish and she hears the screaming cries of a newborn infant._

 _"Regina, dear, would you like to hold her?" Her father asks as he takes the blanket wrapped baby into his arms._

 _"No, just take her away. I don't want to see her," Regina says to her father as she turns her head away from the direction of the infant and her father. "Get her out of here!" She demands more forcefully when her father has yet to exit her chambers._

 _She turns to yell at her father once more before she feels yet another contraction and more pressure pushing downwards. The nurse maid tries to tell Regina that it is most likely the after birth, but then Regina feels a familiar sensation as another baby starts crowning. Everyone is shocked, most of all the Queen to discover she is carrying twins. Regina pushes one last time and she hears another infant wailing. Another girl, as she finds out from her father. But she won't have any of it. She yells at her father once more, telling him to leave with the girls._

 _Regina turns her head even more so away from her chamber doors when she hears them open and then quietly close behind her father and the daughters she would never know. A single tear escapes her closed eyes as she hears the cries of the babies slowly fade the further away they get. Of everything that has happened to her, this is the hardest thing she has ever done, but she wants to give her daughters their best chance, and that most certainly is not with her._

 _"Regina?" She hears a voice call but she refuses to acknowledge it, and instead closes her eyes more tightly and buries her face in her pillow even more._

 _"Regina?!" Why won't they leave her alone?_

"Regina! Wake up, love. Wake up," Robin says as he lightly shakes her by the shoulders.

Regina opens her eyes to see Robin bent over her, shaking her awake. She looks up at him quizzically before realizing she had been crying and that it had most likely woken Robin up and made him panic. Robin let out a sigh of relief before sitting back down on his side of the bed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Regina said. _I didn't want to have that dream, or rather remember that moment._

"Regina, what were you dreaming about? You were crying and digging your face into the pillow while clutching your stomach. What happened?" Robin asked as Regina sat up and he took her hands in his.

"It was nothing, Robin. We should get a few more hours of sleep before we have to get up and get ready for the day," Regina said, trying to brush it off, but Robin wasn't having any of that.

"Regina, you know you can tell me anything, right?" Robin asked and Regina nodded her head in agreement, though with a worried expression on her face because she knew where this was going, and she didn't want that. "Then please tell me what has you so upset?"

"Robin, I don't want to talk about it right now. Please, let's just go back to sleep. We can talk about this later," Regina said. Even though she didn't want to talk about it later, she knew it was inevitable, and so she figured once she had some time to think about how she would tell Robin, it wouldn't be quite so difficult, for either of them.

Robin gave her a questionable look before acquiescing and laying back down beside Regina and pulling her close to him. Regina rested her cheek against his chest before being lulled to sleep by the rhythmic and steady beating of his heart.

When Regina awoke again, it was to an empty bed and laughter filing in from downstairs. She smiled to herself before getting out of bed and heading to the en suite. She came out twenty minutes later, dressed, hair done, and make up on. She looked at herself in the full length mirror in her walk-in closet from the side and caressed her protruding abdomen before walking out of her room and downstairs to where her boys were.

She walks into the kitchen to find Henry and Roland at the breakfast bar eating a bowl of oatmeal while Robin cleans up the dishes from last night's dinner that got left in the sink.

"Mommy!" Roland says when he sees her. Regina goes over to him and gives him a kiss on his head before moving over to Henry and doing the same thing.

"Hi mom," Henry says, as he not so subtly tries to wriggle out of the way of Regina's kisses.

Regina sighs slightly as she thinks back to when Henry loved her kisses, and he wouldn't shy away from them. She guesses it has something to do with the fact that he is nearing his fourteenth birthday and he is becoming more of a young man than a boy, but he will always be Regina's little prince.

"Hello, darling. Can I get you anything to eat," Robin says as he moves over to where Regina is standing next to Henry. He wraps his arms around her middle and gives her a light peck on the lips before getting sounds of protests and "eww"s from Roland, and a shake of the head and a slight eye roll from Henry.

"I'm fine. I think I will just have an apple for right now. Boys, you should get going or you're going to miss the bus," Regina says after looking at the clock on the wall. As the boys jump off their stools to leave, Roland gives Regina a hug and a kiss on the cheek, while Henry only gives her a side hug and a wave as he leaves through the door with Roland following close behind.

"Robin, I think we need to talk," Regina says as she takes Robin's hand and leads him to the living room couch where they sit side-by-side turned slightly so as to face each other more.

"Regina, if this is about last night, or rather this morning, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I know you will tell me when you want to, but if that isn't right now, I don't want you to be uncomfortable about it," Robin says as he takes both of Regina's hands in his own.

"No, Robin, I need to tell you this, and I am going to be uncomfortable about it no matter what. So I think that right now is as good a time as any," Regina says as she lightly squeezes Robin's hands.

"When I was married to the king," Regina started. She gave Robin a reassuring look when she felt him tense up at her words. He isn't the biggest fan of the king, especially given what he did to Regina.

"When I was married to the king," Regina began again. "He always told me how it was my duty as his wife to produce a male heir. He forced himself on me many times in the hopes that I would become pregnant."

"But you couldn't because you drank that potion," Robin said.

"This was before that. I didn't drink that potion until about two years after the king died," Regina explained. "Anyways, when Snow was about fifteen years old, I became pregnant. The king didn't know, neither did Snow. They traveled a lot once the king grew restless and impatient when I had yet to produce an heir," Regina explained given Robin's confused expression.

"They would be gone for six months at a time. The king was showing Snow different parts of the kingdom and neighboring kingdoms because he had given up on the idea of having a male heir, and he figured he might as well start training his daughter to be the queen. While they were back at the castle for six months, I became pregnant midway through. When they left, I was just over four months along, and so I could still conceal it, though my chamber maids soon found out when it became increasingly difficult to tighten my corsets as tight as usual. I made sure nobody told the king or the princess, and while they were gone I gave birth. They returned three weeks later, and it looked like nothing had changed. It was another two and a half years before the king died, but I think that pregnancy was the last straw, so to speak."

During this whole explanation, Robin had been listening attentively and trying not to get too mad at a king who was dead, but if he were here now, he wouldn't be breathing for much longer.

Regina noticed the growing hatred and anger in Robin's eyes and quickly went to calm him down a bit.

"Regina, is this what the dream was about. Was it the king on-?" Robin couldn't even finish his sentence because he didn't want to voice something so horrible.

"No, it was about the night I gave birth," Regina said.

"You had your face in your pillow so far I thought you would smother yourself, and you were crying," Robin said, growing more concerned over what happened to his soulmate before he even knew her.

"I was crying because I didn't want to see my child because I knew if I did, I couldn't give it up like I had intended," Regina said while a single tear slipped down her cheek. Robin brushed his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the traitorous tear.

"You gave up your child? Why, if you wanted it so badly?" Robin asked.

"I wanted to give it its best chance, and at the time it wasn't with me. I could feel myself slipping more and more into the darkness each day, and I didn't want the child to turn out as self-righteous and bratty as Snow was," Regina explained.

"Oh, Regina, love, I am so sorry you had to go through that alone," Robin said.

"I wasn't entirely alone. My father was there through it all. In fact he was the one who was to take away the child and hand it over to a family who was unable to have children of their own. But once circumstances changed slightly, I was afraid they would change their minds, but apparently they hadn't because when my father returned to my room, he said the family was delighted even more with the change," Regina said.

"What changed?" Robin asked.

"I was under the impression that, one, I was having a son, and, two, that I was pregnant with just one child, not two," Regina said, awaiting Robin's reaction.

"You have twin daughters somewhere in the world?" Robin asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, though I am not sure whether they are here in Storybrooke," Regina says.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, given what Rumpelstiltskin said about the fact that any child of mine would have magical gifts, and the only people we know of that have magic here in Storybrooke is Emma, myself, the fairies, and Rumple, or at least before he got stripped of the Dark One, I think it's safe to assume that they aren't here" Regina said.

"How old would they be?" Robin asked.

"If the curse really did affect every realm and land, and time stood frozen for twenty-eight years, I believe they would be about seventeen years old now," Regina said.

"Wait, so Snow White has two sisters that she doesn't even know about that are seventeen years old? Ones that most likely have magical abilities and that are in some other realm?" Robin asked, still trying to figure everything out.

"Yes," Regina said before being interrupted by an incessant knocking on the front door followed by the Charming's rushing in the mansion and straight over to where Robin and Regina were sitting.

"I'm sorry to interrupt like this Regina, but it couldn't wait," Snow said.

"Could it have at least waited until I got to the door, instead of you bursting right on in?" Regina asked, a little peeved that they would just come on in without an invitation.

"Right, sorry about that but we found a way to get to Camelot. We just need your help," Snow said.

"Of course you do," Regina muttered under her breath. "How can I assist you?" Regina asked, though still slightly miffed at Snow and her general annoying behavior.

"We need you to perform a spell. One that will transport us to Camelot," Snow says. "However, this spell has a catch."

"Of course there is. What is it?" Regina asks.

"It can transport no less than five people and there has to be at least two children. Apparently those are the rules for entering Camelot through a portal. We have to bring Henry, Roland, and Neal with us."

 **So that last bit with the portal, purely my own twist because I wanted certain people in Camelot to kinda match the BTS pics we have been seeing all summer, and I honestly don't know how everyone ended up in Camelot.**

 **Let me know if you like it! Please Review/favorite/follow whatever. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, for starters, thank you to those who have followed, favorited, and reviewed this story, I really appreciate it.**

 **Secondly, I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I went home for the weekend and my parents don't have wifi at their house. That being said, I am back at school for like the next three weeks so I should be updating more regularly, possibly two to three times a week, depending on my homework load and how much writing I can get done.**

 **And now lastly, this chapter is shorter than the others, and that is only because this is like a transition chapter, and we do get to see some new characters in this chapter. Warning: Character death (nothing major though, I wouldn't do that). Now I give you chapter 4...**

"We are not bringing the children with us! There has to be another way to get to Camelot," Regina insisted to Snow.

"I'm sorry Regina but we have been searching for months, and we tried to find alternatives, but this is all we have, unless we can get some magic beans in the dead of winter," Snow said.

"Wait. How long have you known about this, this way to get to Camelot?" Regina asked.

"Two months," Snow admitted.

"Two months! Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Regina questioned.

"We were hoping we could find a different way, and this was just going to be a back-up plan. We didn't want to worry anybody unless it was absolutely necessary," Charming said to both Robin and Regina, who were still a little nervous and outraged at the fact that they would be bringing the children with them to find a way to free Emma from the dagger.

"You could have at least told us when you found out about this," Robin spoke for the first time since David and Mary Margaret showed up.

"Why the sudden burst into our home though? Especially if this was your back-up plan. Why the rush?" Robin asked.

"We received a message today from Ariel that Emma is in Camelot right now and she isn't exactly behaving very well. Apparently she is also trying to find a way to separate herself from the dagger by finding Merlin, but she is doing it by any means necessary," Hook said as he walked into the room. At Regina's irritated and questioning looks, Killian explained that the door was open.

Regina rolled her eyes and then looked at the Charming's. "So I guess we should probably get all the required ingredients for this spell and get ready for a trip to Camelot," Regina conceded.

"Regina, are you sure you want to bring the children?" Robin asked.

"I don't want to, but if this is our only choice, then we should get started. Don't worry though, I will read over the spell to make sure no harm comes to them," Regina said to Robin's slightly worried expression.

"We have all the ingredients together. We just need you to read over the spell, and then cast it," Snow said. "And like you said, we need time to get packed, so why don't you look over the spell tonight and tell the boys about it, get packed, and then meet here tomorrow around noon to go to Camelot."

"You certainly have thought this through. Fine, but make sure you bring everything with you tomorrow. If Emma is doing whatever it takes to get to Merlin, and with her being the Dark One, I can imagine things aren't too pretty over there," Regina said as everyone nodded their heads and left, leaving Robin and Regina alone with the required spell, and some explaining to do to the boys when they get home from school.

"Merlin? Merlin! Where are you? The Dark One is almost here, what do we do?"

"Calm down child. From what I gather, I am the person the Dark One is after. She wishes to separate herself from the dagger and return to her former self and return back to her family," Merlin explains.

"But what if she hurts you? What if things don't go according to what you think?"

"My dear sweet girls. Do not fret. I will be fine. As long as I tell her what I know, and the entire truth, then no harm shall befall me. But, if for some reason, I am mistaken, and something does happen to me, just know that I could not be more proud of you two girls. And if you ever have any questions, you will find your answers in the place where you came from," Merlin said.

"What does that mean?"

"Raina. Reagan. You girls know I am not your real father. But you will find your real family very soon, and when and where you least expect it."

"Do you know who our parents are?" Raina asked.

"Do you know where they are?" Reagan asked.

"I do. However, your father passed away a long time ago, but your mother is closer than you think," Merlin said before a burst of magic broke through the front door and in walked Emma Swan.

"Raina, go hide over there," Merlin pointed over to a large cabinet. "Reagan, go hide over there behind that table."

Emma started walking over to Merlin, ignoring the two identical looking girls as they hid where they were told. She stopped right in front of Merlin and stared at him for about five minutes before she smiled a smile that held both triumph and relief.

"You must be Merlin," Emma said. Merlin nodded and stood more confidently in front of Emma. "I was hoping you could free me from the darkness. I would really like to get back to my family and back to the way I used to be."

"Of course. I know. I had heard rumors that that was why you were looking for me," Merlin said while smiling slightly. "However, I am unable to do as you ask. You see, when I bound the darkness to the dagger and a person, I had a little help doing so. Unfortunately, that person is dead now, so, like I said, I am unable to do as you ask of me."

"Do you know of someone who can do as I ask?" Emma asked while gritting her teeth trying to suppress the urge to lash out violently at Merlin.

"I might, but it takes two people with very similar magic to do as you wish. At least that was when I was binding the darkness to something. I fear that three people who have the same kind of magic will be how to free you from the dagger and the darkness," Merlin says while nervously glancing over at the two hidden girls. Emma has ignored these glances, and instead has been trying not to harm Merlin. However, the anger at his words and the darkness, that is still so new to her, has been building up and before she can stop it, Emma has released all those emotions which resulted in a huge surge of magic that blasted Merlin to the ground across the room and knocked him nearly unconscious. Emma leaves in a puff of grey smoke, angry at this new piece of information.

Once Emma has left, the girls rush over to Merlin to check to see if he is alright. When they get there, they can see no visible injuries, but they can tell that with how powerful that blast was, it affected the old man quite more than it would have on someone much younger.

"Merlin! Merlin wake up! We need you, you can't leave us," Raina says as she shakes the old man's shoulders.

"Merlin please we need you," Reagan says as she grabs his hand and squeezes it. At this gentle pressure, Merlin's eyes flutter open but just barely.

"Merlin! Oh thank goodness! What do we do?" Raina asks.

"Girls listen to me. I am not going to live much longer. I have lived for over five hundred years, but each year I have grown weaker. You need to find your mother. I said that it takes three people with similar magic to do as Emma requires, but those three people must also be related. I know that you two girls can do it, but you need to find your mother," Merlin wheezes.

"But how do we find her? We don't even know her name or if she is still alive," Reagan says.

"When you were brought to me, the old man who gave you to me told me your names and that should you ever go looking for your mother, your names and their meanings would lead you to her. He also told me that the meanings of your first names is the same meaning as your mother's first name. It also starts with an R," Merlin says.

"So her name also means queen?" Raina asks.

"It must be royalty though, because that is what my name means," Reagan says.

"They must be both right then. Your mother's name must mean queen which is also royalty. Find her, and save Emma from the darkness. Find your mother, and set everything right again," Merlin whispers before his entire body relaxes as he slips away.

"Merlin, what is so important about Emma? Why do we need to save her? Merlin? Merlin!" Raina and Reagan say as Merlin dies in their arms.

"Are you ready, Regina?" Snow asks.

"Yes. Is everyone else ready?" Regina says.

When she receives nods and agreement throughout the group, Regina looks at the incantation one more time before raising her hands and mentally reciting the words for the spell. A bright blue light soon engulfs everyone as they are transported to Camelot. Before everything gets too bright Regina looks around at everyone around her. Robin on her left, Henry and Roland next to him. Snow, David, and Neal in front of her, and Hook, Belle, and Rumple on her right. Her eyes rest on Robin and the last thing she sees before she shuts her eyes from the brightness, is Robin looking at her and giving her a reassuring smile. The bright light engulfs everyone and takes everyone with it as it snaps back into nothingness. As it transports them all to Camelot.

 **So Merlin clearly wasn't nearly as young as the actor whom ONCE found to play him, and therefore not nearly as good looking. My version of him was like a five hundred year old guy who looked like he was in his mid- to late-sixties.**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed it. Please follow/favorite/review. Oh and I might be more apt to update sooner if I get more reviews. Just sayin'. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone. Thanks to those who have followed/favorited/reviewed. I really appreciate it. Sorry it has taken me a bit longer to update than I had originally planned. I had a huge test this week, so most of my time was spent on studying and freaking out about it. Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed, it gave me some motivation to keep writing. Now, without further ado, here is chapter 5...**

 **TW for mentions of miscarriage, suicide, and marital abuse, but like always, it isn't focused on.**

They had been in Camelot for nearly a month and had yet to find anyone who could, or would, help them free Emma from the Dark One. When they all arrived and started asking around for Merlin, they were made aware of what had happened with Emma showing up and how Merlin had died, but he had left behind two apprentices that he cared for as his own daughters. After receiving that bit of information, everyone decided that their next task was to find these apprentices, and hopefully they could help free Emma from the dagger.

"This is hopeless!" said Regina exasperated and annoyed. "It's been almost a month and we still haven't found these two apprentices that could supposedly help us!" Regina was clearly agitated as she threw the book she was reading across the room, almost hitting David as he walked through the doors of the library in Merlin's house. "Sorry," she mumbled, slightly apologetic.

"It's alright, Regina. But we can't lose hope. These girls lived here. There have got to be clues somewhere. David, did you and Robin find anything?" Snow asked as Robin walked into the library behind David and started walking over to Regina.

"Well, we almost didn't, until we started walking back here," David said, making everyone perk up at the news that they may have found something.

"What did you find?" Rumple asked.

"The apprentices," Robin said from beside Regina. She could tell that something was bothering him, making him look confused and apprehensive at the same time. David had a similar look on his face as well.

"What? You found them? Where-?" Regina was cut off by the arrival of two girls that looked identical to each other. Twin girls that also looked an awful lot like Regina, but she pushed those thoughts aside as she noticed something in their expressions, something that Regina herself has seen in her own eyes before, and quite recently too. Defeat.

"Hello," Belle was the first to break the weighted silence that had fallen over the room as the girls had walked into the library. "What are your names?"

"I'm Raina, and this is my sister Reagan," Raina said.

"Hello Raina, Reagan," Belle said nodding in each girls' direction when she said their names. "I'm Belle. This is my husband Rumpelstiltskin. Don't worry, he isn't harmful anymore," Belle reassured the girls at their frightened looks at the mention of Rumpelstiltskin's name.

"I'm Snow White and this, as you may know is David, my husband," Snow said. "You also must have met Robin Hood. Next to him is his, umm, well, my stepmother, Regina," Snow finished introducing everyone in the room.

"I think it has been many years since I've been your stepmother, Snow," Regina said.

"Wait, if you're Snow White's stepmother, then you must be the Evil Queen," Reagan says as her sister elbows her in the side at the mention of the Queen's former moniker.

"But we have been told of the many good deeds you have done over the past few years. It is nice to meet you, your majesty," Raina says, as she slightly curtseys and Reagan quickly follows her sister's actions.

"Please, call me Regina," Regina says. "Also, no need to curtsy. There is no need for formalities anymore. We were told that you could help us find a way to break Emma free from the dagger?" Regina asks.

"Yes, Merlin told us what we needed to do right before he died in front of us," Reagan says, making eye contact with everyone in the room.

"Sorry to hear about that. I hadn't realized you were with him," Regina says. "What did he say we needed to do?"

"He said that when he bound the darkness to the dagger and a person, it took two people with similar magic to do so. But in order to separate them, it will take three people with similar magic, and they all have to be related by blood," Raina says.

"That's where we were when you all showed up here. We were out looking for our birth mother because she has magic just like we do and Merlin said that it has to be us and our mother to do as you desire," Reagan says.

"He told us that she was close by, but we have yet to find her," Raina says.

"So all we need to do, is find your mother?" Snow asks, looking at the two girls before looking at everyone else in the room. "I'm pretty sure we can help you with that. Can't we?"

"Yes, we can Snow, but we can't exactly go on a wild goose chase looking for a woman that has magic that is similar to these girls without any other clue as to who she might be," Regina says, exasperated at Snow's grasp on what is being said and asked.

"Well we know that she gave up twin girls about," Snow trailed off as she looked at the girls confusedly. "I'm sorry, but how old are you?"

"Seventeen," Reagan says.

"But the problem is, is that we are technically older than that because of the curse that the Ev- sorry, Queen cast over the lands. We were frozen for twenty-eight years, so we are technically much older," Raina says, looking at Snow and then Regina and then Belle.

"Yeah, technically, we are forty-five. I guess that is one nice thing about the curse. It prolonged our lives and made us stay younger longer," Reagan says looking at Regina.

"Yeah well, technically we are all quite a bit older then we look. Anyways, did Merlin give you any other clues as to who your mother might be, besides the fact that she has magic and gave you up seventeen years ago?" Regina asks.

"When we were younger, and asked about our birth parents, Merlin said that they lived in a place called the Enchanted Forest," Reagan says to everyone.

"Great, so there is a possibility that they are in Storybrooke. And we worked so hard to get to Camelot, now we have to find a way to get back home now?" Regina asks, exasperated, standing up and throwing her hands up to add emphasis to her words. She brings her arms back down and absentmindedly caresses her significantly rounded belly with one hand while the other is on her forehead.

"Well, Merlin said that our father was dead, so we are literally just looking for our mother," Reagan adds.

"Sorry about that. My father passed some time ago as well," Snow says pointedly to Regina.

"I am not about to apologize for that, Snow, so you can stop looking at me like that. He may have been a good father, but he most certainly wasn't a good husband," Regina says before Robin grabs the hand that was on her belly and gently squeezes it, reassuringly.

"No one is asking you to apologize, love," Robin says as he kisses her knuckles before releasing her hand again.

"No, I'm not. I'm sorry, Regina," Snow says.

"What happened?" Reagan asks, earning another elbow to the side from her sister.

"Merlin also mentioned that our names would give us clues as to who our mother is," Raina continues as if Reagan hadn't spoken.

"Your names? How so?" Regina asks, almost fearing the answer, but she quickly pushes that down and ignores it.

"He said our names have the same meanings as our mother's does," Raina answers.

"What do your names mean?" asks Snow.

"Mine means Queen, while Reagan's means royalty," Raina says. "Merlin also said that our mother's name also starts with an R. So for the past month or so we have been out looking for women who has a name that starts with an R and means queen or royalty and who also gave up twin girls seventeen years ago, minus the curse," Raina explains.

At this point Regina is surprised, terrified, confused, and slightly taken aback from what Raina has just told everyone. She looks down at Robin who has a similar expression on his face as the one she must have on hers. He turns his head to look up at her as realization dawns on both of their faces at the same time. While this has been going on, David, Snow, Raina, Reagan, and Belle have been going over possibilities of names that would work. The only person not engaged in the discussion is Rumple, who has a slightly bemused look on his face as he watches Robin and Regina's exchange.

"What about the name Regina?" Rumple asks, even more amused as everyone turns to look at him with confused expressions, and then turn to look at Regina, who has managed to mask her inner turmoil with a look of hatred and distrust for Rumple.

"Regina means royalty," Snow asks, confused.

"No Snow it means Queen. My mother always planned for me to be a queen. Apparently, being a princess wasn't enough," Regina says.

"Your mother always wanted to be Queen, but when she realized that would never happen, she settled for her child, well her daughter, to become queen. Your mother put much weight into your name Miss Regina Victoria Mills," Rumple says, still incredibly amused at what he knows and knowing that Regina knows he knows and has yet to say it, but is clearly bursting at the seams.

"Your middle name is Victoria?" Henry asks as he comes into the room, followed by Roland, both of whom are still trying to wipe away the sleep from their eyes as they had just woken up from an obviously much needed nap. "Hey, mom, who are they," Henry asks when he realizes the two teenage girls that weren't there when he fell asleep.

"Henry, this is Raina and Reagan. They are the ones who might be able to help us free Emma from the dagger," Regina explained. "And yes, my middle name is Victoria. My name literally means victorious queen."

"Wow, your mother set quite the standard for you," Snow says. "But Rumple, why would you bring up the name Regina. Yes, it does fit the requirements, but it isn't very common, I don't think."

"It isn't dearie. You see, there was a time early on in your stepmother's magic lessons with me, when she failed to show up for an extended period of time. I thought that she had finally fallen from her balcony so I thought 'what a sad loss', but then I got word that the queen had fallen ill, so my theory about the balcony must've been wrong," Rumple says, getting a warning glance from Regina when he mentioned the balcony part.

"Regina got ill quite often when I was younger, what made this any different?" Snow asked interested, though throwing a worried and confused look at Regina before turning back to Rumple.

"Most of the time she wasn't ill, she just said that to hopefully have the king leave her alone, and also to recover from her injuries," Rumple says.

"You imp! You hurt Regina in your magic lessons!?" Robin fumed, starting to get up from his seated position until Regina put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and Roland rushed over and jumped up into his father's lap.

"It wasn't me who left the marks on Regina," Rumple says, before getting cut off by Regina.

"Rumple," Regina says warningly, worried about what Snow would think about all this.

"Anyways, when I went to check on her, she looked fine to me when I appeared in her room, though she was a bit startled to see me," Rumple says remembering, and by the look on Regina's face, she was remembering too. "She was sitting at her vanity brushing her hair when I showed up. She jumped a little, and then stood up and faced me. That is when I realized why she had isolated herself from everyone except for a couple maids and her father."

"Why don't I remember any of this?" Snow asks.

"You were fifteen Snow, and your father would take you around to neighboring kingdoms for six months at a time," Regina explained in a tone that she hadn't used with Snow since she was twelve.

"Oh. What had you noticed Rumple?" Snow asks.

"Should I tell her or would you dearie?" Rumple asks Regina. "I feel it might be better coming from you, but you don't always do what is better, now do you?" Rumple asks, taunting Regina.

"I'll tell her, I just was hoping I never would," Regina says, exasperated. "Snow, when Rumple came to see me, and he noticed why I had isolated myself from the castle and the kingdom, he noticed that I was pregnant."

 **Hope you all like it. And this is probably going to be the only chapter with that many TW because I don't want to focus on that, but I also don't want to ignore it when something like that probably happened to Regina. Just sayin'. Also, I am open to name suggestions for Regina and Robin's baby girl. I have one idea in mind, but it might end up as a middle name. As always thank you and don't forget to favorite/follow/review. I might end up updating faster with more reviews, they kind of get me motivated to keep writing and gives me more ideas (which if you want me to add something to the story please don't hesitate to ask. I am more than willing to add it wherever possible). Again thanks and the next chapter should be up within the next couple days. You can also follow me on Instagram, but it is not solely a OUAT focused account: kirsti_app47**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone, sorry its late but here is chapter 6. I am currently in the process of writing chapter 7 (I finally caught up to myself), but I will try to get it posted on Sunday, hopefully before the season 5 premiere. Is anyone else as excited as me?! Probably, I can't believe we made it through the hiatus! Starting Sunday we will have 11 weeks of ONCE that goes uninterrupted!**

 **Okay I'm done freaking out now. So this chapter just kind of got away from me, I was just writing, and, well, you'll just have to read to see what happened.**

 **TW: Mentions of miscarriage**

"You were what?!" Snow asks surprised at this bit of information. "Was the baby my father's?"

"Yes, they were, Snow," Regina says, letting slip that there was in fact more than one baby.

"They? I have two siblings somewhere that I don't even know about?" Snow asks, getting visibly more upset, causing Neal to cry from his bassinet in the corner of the room. David goes over to soothe the crying infant while Snow stands up and walks over to Regina.

"Why have I never been told of this? What happened to them?" Snow asks, getting angry now.

"Snow, calm down, please," Regina says, even though it is mostly to herself because she can feel her baby move around inside her more now. She places a hand on her stomach to try and calm her daughter while also trying to calm Snow.

"I will not calm down until you tell me what the hell is going on here!" Snow said loudly. At this point everyone is looking at the two women wondering what is going to happen and who is going to lash out first.

Robin can tell that Regina isn't doing so well because she is pressing her hand more forcefully into the side of her belly and rubbing circles there. He looks up to see a pained expression on Regina's face. And it isn't a guilty kind of pained expression, it is pure pain.

"Snow, please. Can you step back for a moment please?" Robin pleads with Snow. At the sound of desperation in Robin's voice, Snow snaps out of the haze of anger that had clouded her eyes and looks at Regina who looks to be in quite a bit of pain.

"Regina, are you alright?" Snow asks.

"I will be. Just give me a moment. She doesn't like it when I get too upset or agitated," Regina explains.

"Have you been experiencing these lately Regina?" Rumple asks. "Your daughter might have inherited your magical abilities, which could be what is causing the pain. It happened last time."

"Yes, I think she might have. Although I was hoping she wouldn't," Regina says, visibly calming down and relaxing as the pain slowly subsides. "This time it is easier to calm down though, and without the help of that stuff you gave me last time that smelled of rotten produce and dirty socks, and almost tasted like it too."

"Regina, please. What happened?" Snow pleaded, though visibly more calm than she was a minute ago.

"I gave birth to twin girls. I didn't know I was having twins, and I thought for sure that this time it would be a boy, but no such luck," Regina says.

"This time? Regina, how many times have you been pregnant?" Snow asks, horrified at what the answer might be.

"Only three times, well this one," Regina gestured to her rounded stomach. "This one makes four. The third time I was pregnant was when I had the twin girls."

Throughout this whole exchange, Raina and Reagan have been listening attentively to the conversation before them. They grew more and more excited when they realized that their mother was right in front of them, and that Merlin was right, their mother was really close, and had they just stayed home, they would have found her sooner.

"Regina, why did I never hear about any of them?" Snow asks.

"The first time you were only eleven, and I didn't make it past the first trimester, so we didn't think to tell you. The second time was when you were almost thirteen, and we were going to tell you on your birthday because I had made it through the first trimester and beginning to show so we figured we might as well tell you. But two nights before your birthday, I miscarried which is why I wasn't at the party," Regina explains, remembering how upset and disappointed Snow had been that Regina wasn't at the party.

"Regina, I am so sorry. Also, I'm sorry I got mad at you for missing my birthday. I thought it was because you really didn't love me, and you were just beginning to really show your true feelings," Snow says. "But what about the third time? Where was I? Did my father know?"

"You were out with your father in King George's kingdom and then off to King Midas' kingdom. You were fifteen. When you and your father left for the six month long journey, I was just over four months pregnant. When you returned, it had been three weeks since I had given birth," Regina explains.

"But you didn't look like you had been pregnant," Snow states, still a bit confused.

"Well, dear, I don't really gain any weight while pregnant, as you can tell now," Regina says, gesturing to her figure. And she was right. The only thing that had gotten bigger was Regina's stomach, and even that was smaller than normal. She looked about six months pregnant, when in fact she was just a couple days past the eight month mark.

"I guess so. But, do you know what happened to my sisters?" Snow asks.

"Uh, dearie, if I were to venture a guess as to where they are, I would say turn around," Rumple says as Snow and everyone else besides Regina and Robin look behind them at Raina and Reagan who are still standing next to each other next to the door to the library.

"Hi," Raina and Reagan say sheepishly as they are suddenly the center of everyone's attention.

"I have more siblings? And more family members? You've got to be kidding me. Wait. If they are my sisters and Grams sisters, does that make Grams my sister too?" Henry asks as he looks back at Regina who is still clutching her stomach and holding Robin's hand. Regina looks up at Henry at the realization that what he said was indeed true, weirdly so, and nods her head in assurance. "Ugh! My family tree on my mom's side –both of my mom's sides because they are related –is messed up!"

"That's beside the point right now. Raina, Reagan, I guess welcome to the family," Snow says. But before she says anything else, Regina lets out a pained whimper which causes everyone to look back at her. Regina is now doubled over, clutching her abdomen more tightly and squeezing rather tightly to Robin's hand that she has clutched in her own.

"Mom! What's wrong? Is the baby alright?" Henry asks in a panic, looking at his mother who seems to be in a fair amount of pain.

"Henry, I'm fine, but you need to take Roland and go back to your room for a while, until we figure out what exactly is going on. Okay?" Regina says as the pain slowly subsides again.

"No, Mom what is going on!" Henry demands.

"Henry, you need to do as your mother says. We will let you know what is going on, but we need to discover that ourselves first. Okay? Please take Roland to your room," Snow says. Henry acquiesces and takes Roland's hand in his own and tries to get him to leave with him, but the young boy starts to protest.

"Mommy? What's wrong? Is baby sister okay?" Roland asks as he looks up at Regina who is sitting in the chair that Robin had vacated.

"I'm fine sweetie, but you need to go with Henry for a little bit. Alright?" Regina says to the young boy, trying to reassure him. Roland still looks a little reluctant, so Regina tries to reassure him further, and quickly as she can feel another wave of pain approaching. "Roland, remember what I told you when we were in the castle and you were afraid the Wicked Witch or a flying monkey was going to come back?"

"Yeah. You said that nothing could hurt me or you because I was your brave little knight," Roland says, reciting every word Regina had said to him at the castle during the missing year.

She had told him it when he came running from his bedchambers looking for his papa because he had a nightmare about the winged beasts, but had found Regina instead. She had taken him back to his room and sat on the bed with him in her lap and told him that as long as he was her brave little knight, then no harm would come to either one of them. Then she had sat there with him, rubbing soothing circles on his back and singing to him until he had fallen asleep. Little did she know that a certain annoying thief had seen and heard the whole thing.

"Exactly, and now I need you to be my little knight for some time. Everything will be fine but you need to go with Henry right now. Okay sweetie?" Regina says, and Roland nods his head and turns to head out with Henry just as that wave of pain came crashing full force on to her abdomen, causing Regina to squeeze Robin's hand really tightly.

"Breathe, Regina, just breathe it's okay," Robin says as the boys, David with Neal, and Rumple leave the room and close the doors behind them, leaving Snow, Belle, Raina, Reagan, himself, and Regina alone in the library.

"I am breathing, Robin," Regina snaps, but instantly feels guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's alright, love. You are in a lot of pain right now, it's understandable," Robin says, kissing Regina's temple.

"Regina, we need to get a doctor right away. These are real contractions. The baby is coming now. Your water just broke," Snow says.

"The town doctor isn't here right now. He won't be back for another two weeks," Raina tells everyone.

"Oh well that's just perfect. Gahh. Oh gods, it hurts," Regina says as another contraction tears through her body.

"Regina, we are going to have to deliver this baby here. Raina and Reagan can you go get a towel or a blanket and a bowl of water?" Snow instructs. "Belle can you clear off that lounge chair over there, please? We are going to move Regina over there."

The two girls nod their heads and leave the room in search for water and a blanket. Belle heads over to said lounge and begins clearing off all the books on it. Once the chair was cleared off, Robin and Snow helped Regina over to it and laid her down on it. Robin sits behind Regina with his legs on either side of her, holding both of her hands in each of his.

"Regina, can you magic a dress on? Otherwise, we will need to find a blanket to cover up your lower half," Snow says.

Regina nods her head slightly and waves her hand. A cloud of purple smoke envelopes her and when it dissipates, she is wearing a simple light-blue night gown that goes to mid-shin.

"Perfect. Now, I do need to check you to see how much you are dilated," Snow says delicately because she knows how Regina is, and she doesn't want to intrude too much.

"I know, Snow. Do whatever you need to, just get this baby out!" The queen all but yells at the end as another contraction rips through her abdomen.

Snow nods her head and moves to remove Regina's underwear and spreads her legs to check the progress of the labor.

"Umm, Regina? Do you feel any pressure or pain that is localized pretty far down?" Snow asks as she looks up at her step-mother.

"Yes. But it is more of a searing pain. Why? Has it progressed that much?" Regina asks as a look of confusion and worry crosses her face.

"Uh, yeah. I can see the baby's head crowning," Snow says as she looks back down between Regina's legs.

"Clearly our little girl is just as impatient as her mother," Robin says chuckling, but is quickly cut off by Regina screaming through the sudden agonizing pain she is experiencing. She squeezes Robin's hand so tight, he has lost almost all feeling in his fingers.

"That's it, Regina, push!" Snow encourages. "I can see more of her head. Okay on the next contraction, I want you to push as hard as you can. Okay? Ready and push!"

"That's it, love, I can see her head now," Robin says encouragingly to Regina as he sees more and more of his daughter's head. "She has a lot of dark hair just like you, Regina! Come on you got this."

Through the encouraging words of both Snow and Robin, Regina pushes with all her might, and within minutes, her baby girl is born and crying very loudly. Belle, who had left shortly after getting Regina to the chaise lounge, walked back into the room upon hearing the crying of an infant, joined by Raina and Reagan. The two girls handed Snow the blanket and bowl of water, which she took gladly, but then remembered something.

"Do you know where some scissors might be?" Snow asks, referring to the umbilical cord. Raina produces a pair and hands them to Snow who then hands them to Robin, who had wanted to cut the cord. He adjusts so that he is sitting beside Regina in order to reach the cord.

"Shh. It's alright. You're safe and sound," Regina soothes the baby as she cradles her in her arms in the lavender blanket the two girls had found.

Regina lifts the baby up so that Robin can spread the white towel, that had been brought in, over Regina's much smaller belly. Regina sets the baby girl down on it while he and Snow get her cleaned up. Regina produces a bag of diapers with her magic and Snow grabs one and puts it on the whimpering infant, who is not liking the whole bath thing. Once all cleaned up, Regina swaddles the babe up in the lavender blanket and holds her close to her chest and coos at her while Robin settles in next to Regina and looks on at his newborn daughter.

"She is beautiful, my queen. You did good," Robin says as he gives Regina a kiss to her temple.

"We," Regina corrects. "We did good."

Their little girl moves her head to the side and looks up at Regina at the sound of her mother's voice. Her little fist escapes from the blankets and starts grabbing for something, so Regina places her right index finger in her daughter's grasp and stares at how marvelous this moment is. Because in this moment, nothing is bothering them, there is no immediate danger, there is no evil to bother them. There is just the three of them in their own happy bubble where nothing can go wrong. Where two people who have just become parents to a child that is a part of both of them, have the most ridiculous smiles on their faces as they look at their precious new baby girl.

 **So, yeah, the whole Regina giving birth thing kinda just happened when I wrote this. Also, kudos to those who figured out what the name I was thinking of was, and since I got so many people asking that it be her name, I think I will go with it. However, I do want to give the new little princess a middle name, so any ideas?**

 **As always, follow/fav/review. I hope you all still like the story. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay everyone. Sorry I didn't get this up before OUAT came back on. I had this all ready to go at like 7:30pm and went to hit the submit button when I lost the internet connection , and I still don't have one. I'm currently using my mobile hotspot to upload this.**

 **For starters, I want to apologize for any confusion the last chapter may have caused anyone. Yes, Regina had the baby early, but only by a month. I had mentioned somewhere in the middle of the chapter that she looked about six months pregnant but was actually eight. Again, I apologize for the confusion.**

 **So in this chapter, the girls and Regina talk about their past and there is also a discussion between the girls and Robin towards the end that I thought was really cute. Also, the name if the little princess is revealed, and once again kudos to those who figured out her first name. And since I didn't get any requests or ideas for a middle name I found one that I think works very well.**

Shortly after the new little princess was born, and everything got cleaned up, Henry and Roland came into the library to meet their new little sister. Raina and Reagan were also there, since they had been in the room almost the entire time, and it was their little sister, too.

"Where's the baby, Momma?" Roland asked as he came into the room with Henry holding his hand.

"She's right here, Roland," Robin says looking down at the little baby girl that is cradled in her mother's arms.

Roland runs over to his papa who lifts him up so he can see the baby in Regina's arms.

"She's so tiny," Roland comments, looking down from his father's arms at his new little sister.

"That she is my boy. You were once that small as well," Robin says. Roland looks up at his father like he had just grown an extra head.

"But I a big boy. Mommy even says so," Roland says determinedly to explain to his father that he was never that small.

"You are a big boy, Roland, but you were a much smaller boy when you were born. Before you were a big boy and my brave little night," Regina says to the young boy, who just smiles and nods his head at Regina's explanation.

"She is little. But really cute," Henry says as he looks at his new baby sister.

"She is nearly a month early, so it is expected that she would be smaller than normal," Snow explains with a slightly worried expression on her face. "I just wish we were back in Storybrooke so she could get the proper treatment."

"Well perhaps we could help with that. I mean she is in fact our sister and we would not want anything bad to happen to her," Raina says as she and Reagan step closer to their mother.

"Oh that would be wonderful girls! Thank you," Snow says.

"Yes thank you. Umm," Regina hesitates. "Can everybody give us a moment please? I would like to talk to my daughters."

"Oh! Of course! Come on Henry, Roland, let's leave your mother and sisters alone for a moment," Snow says as she ushers Henry out the door, but Roland stays by his father. "Roland, come along darling."

Roland shakes his head and looks up at Robin and then at Regina.

"Come on my boy, I'm coming too. Mommy needs to talk to these girls for a while. And while she does, I have some things to explain to you," Robin says, causing Roland to exhale a resigned sigh. Robin leans down and gives Regina a quick kiss to her lips before following Snow, Henry, and Belle out the door.

Regina watches everyone leave and gives Robin a reassuring smile and nod before he turns and shuts the doors behind him. She then turns to the two girls that are standing in front of her.

"I wanted to talk to you about why I gave you up," Regina starts before getting cut off by Reagan.

"Was it because you were planning on becoming the Evil Queen and didn't want any distractions in your revenge towards Snow White, and with us in the picture it would be more difficult to kill our father and then our sister?" Reagan asks, clearly upset.

"Reagan!" Raina starts before getting cut off by Regina.

"No, it's fine. I would've expected you to be angry and probably say something along those lines. And to be fair, with how quickly I was slipping into the darkness, what Reagan said probably would've occurred to me if I had kept you two," Regina says as she gets somewhat incredulous and perplexed looks from the girls. "But my main reasoning was that because I was slipping further and further into the darkness that was consuming me, I didn't want any child of mine to get caught up in it as well. That and I didn't want them turning into a bratty spoiled princess like Snow was. And Rumpelstiltskin informed me that any child of mine would most likely have magical abilities and I could see how the servants in the castle were looking at me when word got out that I had magic and was developing it. I didn't want any child of mine to have to go through any of that. That castle was like a prison to me and I figured it would be very similar for you. I wanted my children to be good and smart and independent, and I knew that wasn't going to happen if they grew up in that castle."

"Snow White was really that bad? But she was such a badass," Reagan says before getting a pointed look from her sister who was checking to make sure everything was alright with the baby.

"That was after I sent the huntsman after her and he let her escape," Regina explains.

"If you hadn't been Queen or if the castle wasn't a prison for you, would you have kept us?" Reagan asks hesitantly.

"Under different circumstances, I would have kept you. It was very difficult for me to give you away, but I knew if I kept you, I-, I gave you up because I wanted to give you best chance, and I knew that wasn't with me," Regina explains before hearing her baby daughter start crying.

"I swear I didn't do anything. I didn't even touch her. I'm so sorry," Raina says; apologizing profusely.

"It's alright. She's fine. She is probably just hungry. And you don't need to apologize so much. I don't have quite the temper that I used to have," Regina says, giving Raina a reassuring smile while adjusting the baby so she was more comfortable and closer to Regina's chest, causing her cries to subside and her to fall back asleep.

Raina gives a light chuckle before asking, "What's her name?"

"Well, Robin and I were kind of planning on telling everyone all at once, but I think I can make an exception for you two, considering everything I have in-avertedly put you through," Regina says.

"What do you mean?" Reagan asks.

"Yeah, we had a really awesome life, and one that got extended by twenty-eight years because of the dark curse. We were taught how to control our magic by Merlin of all people, and we were taught to be good," Raina says confusedly.

"Yes, but you just watched the man who raised you, die right in front of your eyes. How did you end up with Merlin anyway? My father told me you were going to a family who was unable to have children of their own?" Regina asks.

"When we were five, our magic started making itself known and the family got worried, so they took us to Merlin to hopefully teach us how to control our magic. But before we made it to him, they were killed in a wolf attack, and they told us to just keep walking north, and so we did, and we told Merlin what had happened and he decided to take us in since he had already agreed to teach us about our magic. He taught us how to use light magic, though Reagan had a more difficult time with developing it," Raina explains.

"Did he say why that was?" Regina asks, almost dreading the answer.

"He said it was because I-" Reagan starts, then takes a deep breath and finishes in a rush with: "He said it was because I had more dark magic in me than Raina did."

"That's when we told him we were adopted in the Enchanted Forest and our parents told us that our mother most likely had magic of her own," Raina says.

"That's probably when he figured out who our mother was, but he of course didn't tell us," Reagan says, rolling her eyes at the end.

"He was right because when I discovered I was pregnant, I had started doing more advanced forms of dark magic and I feared the child would inherit some of it. I'm sorry for everything I did to you girls, without even realizing it. I was so focused on my revenge towards Snow White, that I was blinded by anything and everything else going on around me," Regina says while adjusting her daughter who had woken up again, crying more demandingly.

"Someone clearly isn't giving up that easily," Raina notes.

"Just like her mother," Robin says as he walks into the library once again. "I do hope I'm not interrupting, I just heard her cry and was coming to see if I could be of assistance."

"She's just hungry," Regina says as she adjusts her daughter and proceeds to feed her, releasing a sigh of relief when she latches on without any problems.

"She was clearly hungry," Reagan remarks as she watches her baby sister drink hungrily.

"Well that's probably because her mother hasn't eaten since this morning and it is now dark outside," Robin says pointedly to Regina.

"I was busy and distracted researching ways to free Emma. Eating wasn't at the forefront of my mind. I was planning on having a larger meal."

"So really a normal sized meal?" Robin asks, chuckling slightly, earning a glare from Regina that, had it not had a hint of humor in it, used to scare the living daylights out of those who were on the receiving end of said glare.

"You know that glare has never had any effect on me, love," Robin comments before giving Regina a kiss on her forehead.

"Seriously, that was a glare reminiscent of the Evil Queen," Raina says with wide eyes.

"Yes, but you could see a hint of humor in her eyes," Reagan says, while chuckling at her sister's obvious fear.

"Quite right, but when we all came back to the Enchanted Forest about two years ago, and I met Regina here, she tried multiple times to scare me off with the actual glare, but it never worked," Robin says, looking at Regina, remembering.

"And then you would smile that annoying, cocky smirk and it would only infuriate me more," Regina says.

"Then you would turn on your heel and walk away from me, only to be stopped by Roland who would say goodbye and you would tur around with a completely different, almost soft, expression and say goodbye to him and give him a hug, before turning around without giving me a second glance," Robin says, smirking that smirk that used to infuriate Regina.

"True," Regina says, smiling.

"How did you guys end up falling in love?" Raina asks.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my sister, the romantic," Reagan says, while earning a glare from her sister.

"It took quite a while. It wasn't until we were in Storybrooke, with no memory of the previous year, that Regina was more open to the possibility," Robin explains.

"Why's that?" Raina asks.

"Not to interrupt the conversation, but I really do need to use the facilities. Robin can you," Regina says, gesturing to their daughter who was back asleep in her arms.

"Of course," Robin says eagerly, holding out his arms for his daughter. Once Regina leaves, Robin continues. "She was more open to it, most likely because she had her son back in her life. When we were in the Enchanted Forest, Henry wasn't there. In order to save Storybrooke from Peter Pan's curse, she had to break it, which meant giving up the thing she loved most," Robin explains.

"Henry," Raina and Reagan say at the same time.

"Yes. When I met her, she was in a depression, and the only thing keeping her from pricking her finger with a needle with a sleeping curse on it was to destroy her sister, who had a personal vendetta out for her. But I could tell that there were days when she wished she had gone through with her plan of putting herself under the sleeping curse," Robin explains.

"Wow, she really does love her son," Reagan says.

"She loves all of her children. She and Snow have even reconciled their past and are pretty good friends now. She loves with her whole being, which is why when something happens to those she loves, she feels personally responsible, even if she isn't, for what happens to them. She will also do anything for those she does love. That was one of the things that had originally attracted me to her. I had this constant feeling to make sure she was happy, which usually meant having her and Roland spend time together," Robin says.

"When did you know you were in love with her?" Reagan asks, quite interested in her mother's life.

"I think it was about three months after she arrived in the Enchanted Forest. She was in one of her foul moods at breakfast, and after she had about four bites of food, she got up and left the dining hall. I finished my plate and followed her out. I followed her out to the gardens, to her apple tree. She was in her elaborate Evil Queen attire, but her hair was down in waves against her back, and she just looked so sad. When I asked her what was troubling her, she tried to brush it off as nothing, but she finally told me that it was her son's birthday, and it was the first time she wouldn't be with him on his birthday. I hated seeing her so sad, and I wanted to do something for her, so I asked if there was anything I could do, and she just said 'hold me'. So I did. We stayed in each other's arms for what seemed like hours, but was only two. When she pulled away from me, she asked why I seemed to care about someone as evil as her, and I said,"

"You said, 'You are the furthest thing from evil, and I intend on making sure no one ever makes you feel that way ever again.'," Regina finishes as she walks back into the library, with a smile on her face. "That was when I knew you would be in my life no matter how hard I tried to avoid it. That was when I realized I didn't want you to not be in my life."

"That's when you knew you were in love with her?" Raina asks.

"That's when you fell in love with me?" Regina asks incredulous.

"Yes, and a couple days later when you kissed me, I knew that I was hopelessly and endlessly, in love with you," Robin says.

"That's when I realized I was falling in love with you, and when I kissed you, I realized I didn't want it any other way," Regina says as she sits back down next Robin, smiling at him.

"You guys are adorable," Raina says, smiling at Regina and Robin.

"Really, you guys are a walking, um, romance story. I was going to say fairytale, but, well, you kind of are," Reagan says, causing everyone to laugh.

"So, what is our baby sister's name?" Raina asks.

"Yeah, I would love to know," Henry says as he and Roland walk into the library, before Snow shuts it behind them, leaving the family alone for a while longer.

"Well, everyone, it is my pleasure to introduce you to your sister," Regina says, looking at her four children, smiling, before looking down at the newest member of the family. "Hope Amelia Locksley."

 **There you go. The little princess's name is Hope Amelia, which means striving for hope which I thought was befitting for this family. I hope you all like it, but seeing as how most of you wanted her name to be Hope, I'm sure you all like it.**

 **Also, do not be afraid to ever ask me any and all questions you may have regarding the story or the chapter. If it is for clarification, I will be more than happy to help. But if it for spoilers, not sure I can give you any seeing as how I have caught up with my self and only have a slight idea as to where I am going with this. If you have any suggestions as to something you want to see happen in this story, please don't hesitate to ask and I will more than likely try to put it in the story.**

 **As always, Follow/Fav/Review. Thanks :)**


	8. Author's Note

For starters I just want to apologize for making everyone think that this was a new chapter, and also I want apologize for how long this story has been inactive. I just lost the inspiration for this story at the moment, so if any of you have ideas as to where you want this to go, please let me know. That being said, until I get more inspiration to write this, I am putting this story on hiatus for a while. Sorry again for the long wait and then the false "new chapter" alert.

One last thing though, I did start writing a new story surrounding my favorite ship, so I might be posting that soon, and I also have some companion holiday pieces to go with it. This new story will be darker and more angsty, but nothing like tearing the Queen and her Thief apart, and the companion pieces will be purely fluff and kind of a moment to breathe kind of thing. So, that being said, I will hopefully see (not really but you know what I mean) you all soon.


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey everybody! I know it has been eons since I last updated this with and actual chapter, but I figured that since it is the holidays and I found time to write a new chapter, I'd update for you all. I'm not sure when I will get another chapter up because right now,** ** _Moving Forward_** **is my main priority. That doesn't mean I won't update this again, that just means that it will take longer between chapters as I do not have any additional chapters written ahead of time. Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 8

The corridor smelled like a combination of rotten fish, stale air, and decaying flesh from the thousand or so prisoners there. As the guard walked through all the twists and turns in the underground prison, hands shot through iron bars reaching for the food on the tray he was carrying. When he reached his destination, he heard a slight murmuring coming from the inhabitant, which was unusual for this particular person. The guard couldn't make out what was being said, so he just opened the tray hatch at the bottom of the iron bars and slid in the tray of food.

"Eat up! And stop your mumbling!" The guard commanded before he turned around and started walking away before being stopped by the words of the prisoner.

"I remember! I remember! Please! I remember!" The prisoner yelled at the guard, causing him to turn around with a confused and questioning look on his face.

"What do you mean, prisoner? What do you remember?" The guard asked.

"I remember who I am! I remember," the prisoner said forcefully.

"Who are you then, prisoner? If you remember, who are you?" The guard mockingly asked.

"I remember, I remember, I remember," the prisoner kept repeating, and his words became quieter and quieter and back to the mumbling, but this time the guard knew what he was saying.

As the guard turned to leave again, he started to wonder who this man was and why he was in the prisons of the Old Camelot. Only the people who did something horrendous, but not traitorous enough to be executed, were sent down there. It made them go mad, which might have been what happened to the prisoner, but the guard wasn't so sure. The prisoner seemed lucid and seemed like he knew what he was talking about.

When the guard reached his post, his boss was there.

"What took you so long?" The boss questioned.

"A prisoner at the end of the corridors, the one that has always been quiet, started mumbling. When I turned to leave, he spoke up," the guard said.

"What did he say?" The boss wanted to know.

"He just kept repeating 'I remember. I remem-" But before the guard could finish, a loud crash and bang was heard from the direction of said prisoner.

"What was that?" The guard asked of his boss.

"I am not sure, but we should find out," The boss said and started walking back down the corridor from whence the guard just came. But before he could get very far, both he and the guard were thrown back against a wall by an invisible force.

"What was that?" The boss asked this time.

"That, Boss, was magic," the guard said.

As they both turned their heads back down towards the corridor, a man, the mumbling man from the cell, came walking up to them.

"I remember," he said to them both before walking out of the underground prison and into daylight once again.

-LMD-

Regina had magicked some new clothes on both herself and her youngest daughter after deciding to go back out and join the others. Robin had been reluctant at first, unsure if Regina was alright to be up and walking so soon after giving birth, but when Raina offered to heal her, Robin relented. So, with a pair of black skinny jeans and a red tank top and black blazer on, Regina holds her daughter close as they all head out of the library, Reagan righting everything and cleaning everything with a wave of her hand. When Regina, Robin, and the children walk out of the library, they are met with expressions of apprehension, confusion, and bewilderment.

"Is everything alright?" Robin inquires.

"What's going on?" Reagan wonders.

"What's happening?" Raina asks.

"Snow! Answers, please?" Regina demands.

Snow looks over at Regina reluctantly before taking a step towards her. "Regina, Merlin's gone."

"What do you mean, Snow?" Regina asks, getting really confused.

"She means that his body is gone," Rumple elaborates.

"What?!" Regina exclaims, her eyes going wide and her eyebrows nearly disappearing into her hairline.

Before anyone can say anything else, the door to the room bursts open and in walks a younger looking man with dark hair, brown eyes, and darker skin.

"Who are you?" The man asks, a slight accent to his voice.

"We could ask you the same thing," Regina says, handing Hope over to Robin who takes her immediately.

The man smirks, before taking a step further into the room. "The name's Merlin. The real one."

"How can we be sure you're telling the truth?" Regina asks skeptically.

"You can't, but have you discovered that the body of the man you originally thought was Merlin has suddenly disappeared?"

Regina looks at the man, trying to figure out if this is indeed the real Merlin. "What do you know of that?" She settles on asking.

"That man was an imposter of sorts. There have been many Merlins since the beginning of time, I am not the first, sort of like how there are multiple Dark Ones. When one dies, the person to kill them becomes the next Dark One. That's similar to what happens to us Merlins, except, we don't kill our predecessors. We are given a, sentence, I guess you could say. We are to serve a certain amount of time as Merlin, before passing it down to our apprentices. I was the apprentice to the man who you have just discovered has disappeared. He had already served his sentence, but loved being Merlin and the magic that came with it, so he locked me up, gave me a forgetting potion, and became Merlin once again. When he died, he spell was undone on me, and his body went where all Merlins go after dying," The new Merlin explains.

"Why didn't he want you to be Merlin?" Rumple asks skeptically.

"He just explained that he wanted the magic, surely you would understand that, Imp," Regina growls out, leveling Rumple with a glare, though a hint of confusion could be seen in her glare.

"That's part of the reason. He also felt I wasn't ready for the job yet, because when he finally found me, I was still pretty young and he was pretty far into his sentence. I knew all I needed, I was just too cocky and immature to take on the role," Merlin explains.

Rumple has the decency to look guilty, even if just for a brief moment, but it's nice to know he isn't a complete ass.

"So, I hear that a friend of yours has acquired the burden of the Dark One," Merlin says, breaking the silence that had fallen amongst everybody.

Snow looks up and nods her head, "Yes, my daughter. She's the Savior and while saving Regina, she took on the powers and became the Dark One so that the darkness wouldn't snuff out the light in Regina."

Merlin turns and looks at Regina who is taking back her daughter who had been becoming fussy. He walks closer to her, causing Regina to become startled when she looks up and sees Merlin so close to her.

"Regina? As in Queen Regina?" Merlin asks, looking Regina up and down before setting his face into a look of confusion. "The Evil Queen?"

Regina lets out a deflated sounding sigh, before nodding her head slightly. "Though I prefer Regina."

"Of course. My apologies. I've heard of your many trials, tribulations, and triumphs over the years. Well, the Merlin before me did, but like the Dark Ones, I get all the knowledge and experiences of every past Merlin. It's nice to meet you, Your Ma- Regina," Merlin says, correcting himself at the end when he gets a pointed look from the former Evil Queen.

"Wait, the current Dark One gets all the knowledge of past Dark Ones?" Regina asks.

Merlin nods his head, as does Rumple. "Yes, it's what makes each new one more powerful than the last and more difficult to reach and bring back from the darkness. It isn't impossible," Merlin clarifies at the worried expressions on Snow and David's faces. "But it'll be difficult."

"Um, Merlin, is it true what the other Merlin said about the three of us being able to rid Emma of the darkness?" Reagan asks, gesturing to her sister and mother.

"Yes, what he said is true, it'll just have to take the trust of Emma to make it work. She has to trust all three of you before it'll work," Merlin explains.

"Great, now we just need Emma to show up and meet Raina and Reagan and then they can geet started," Belle says enthusiastically.

"Not so fast. Dark Ones don't trust easily, so it'll probably take some time before she will trust them," Merlin warns.

"Great. Just great. When we think we've taken a couple steps forward in saving my daughter, we take a step or two back," Snow says, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Do not fret, Snow White. It will work," Merlin reassures Snow, but in doing so, he reassures everyone else, as well.

"So, all we have to do is find Ma, and get her to stay with us and get to know and trust my sisters?" Henry asks, looking for clarification.

"Exactly," Merlin agrees.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's summon Ma!" Henry says enthusiastically.

"But, who should do it?" Belle asks.

"I would recommend someone she already trusts, and loves, someone she wouldn't hurt no matter what," Merlin says.

"So, me?" Henry inquires, to which Merlin nods his head.

"Will he be safe?" Regina asks, looking between her son and Merlin with a worried expression on her face.

"It's perfectly safe," Merlin reassures. "All you have to do is say the name that appeared on her dagger three times and she will appear either in front of you, or somewhere in this room."

"Okay," Henry starts, then says, "Emma Swan. Emma Swan. Emma Swan."

 **Thoughts? Good? Bad? Eh? Let me know! :)**


End file.
